Steering assemblies are known that can be used to steer inboard/outboard or outboard motors attached to the stern of a boat and used to propel the boat, which steering assemblies include a rudder reference sensor including a variable resistance potentiometer that can provide a different electrical signal for each position to which the rudder and propeller of the outboard motor or outboard portion of the inboard/outboard can be rotated with respect to the stern of the boat. That signal from the rudder reference sensor is sent to a known type of computer-operated guidance system on the boat that can attempt to keep the boat traveling along a desired directional heading by determining the actual heading of the boat and, if that actual heading is not the same as the desired heading, can determine an appropriate direction and amount to rotate the rudder and propeller of the outboard motor or outboard portion of the inboard/outboard in an attempt to correct the heading of the boat . Then, based on that determination, the guidance system can operate the steering mechanism to position the rudder and propeller of the outboard motor or outboard portion of the inboard/outboard motor so that it will change the heading of the boat toward or to the desired heading.
Known rudder reference sensors, (e.g., the Raymarine E15022 “Rotary Rudder Reference Bracket”, model 5915368, or the Raymarine M81188 Linear Rudder Reference sensor for outboards, model 251251, both of which are commercially available from West Marine, Watsonville, Calif.) while suitable for use with inboard/outboard type drive systems, are not easily adaptable for use with small horsepower outboard motors (e.g., 5 to 10 h. p.) used to propel fishing boats at slow speeds (e.g., 1 to 3 m.p.h.) while trolling for fish. A major portion of such an outboard trolling motor including its rudder and propeller is typically pivoted over about 40 degrees between a use position with the rudder and propeller of the outboard motor under the water where it can propel the boat during trolling, and a storage position with all of the outboard motor including its rudder and propeller above the water surface where they will not interfere with operation of the boat at high speed by a main drive system on the boat. The known way in which commercially available rudder reference sensors are used to indicate the position of such outboard motors is to connect the rudder reference sensor to the outboard motor only when the outboard motor is in its use position, and then disconnect the rudder reference sensor from the outboard motor before the outboard motor is pivoted to its storage position with its rudder and propeller above the water's surface. This can be very inconvenient, particularly when structure at the stern of the boat (e.g., a row of fishing rods in sockets) limits access to the outboard motor.